Ficlet 34: Returning Home
by CloakedHestia
Summary: A sort of A/U "what if" story: What if Sara was pregnant with Nick's child and left Vegas... only to return a few years later? Would she be able to face him? Would he forgive her for leaving? Definitely not set in canon.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. I am just a humble fan and writer.

A/N: There is lots of drama in this one. A sort of A/U "what if" for the Snicker fans; What if Sara becomes pregnant with Nick's child and leaves Las Vegas? This ficlet shows takes place a little while after she has her child and comes back to Vegas. What will happen when she confronts her old team? Can she even confront them, especially Nick? Read on.

**Ficlet 34 (ch.1): Returning Home**

It was two years, five weeks and four days since she left the Las Vegas lab.

Now that she was coming back, she had no idea what she was going to say. They would have many questions. Especially about her daughter.

When she first found out she was expecting, Sara nearly fainted in disbelief. Two home pregnancies and a doctor's confirmation later made her come face to face with the fact the she was going to be a mother.

It was an overwhelming and stressful secret that nearly drove her to a mental breakdown. When she took her leave of absence she realized she needed time to think things over and deal with the fact that her daughter would have no father.

No father… Sara smiled scornfully. Emily_ did _have a father; he just didn't know about it. How could he know? Sara never even told him. He wasn't there for Emily's birth, her first steps, her first words.

Sara felt tears running down her cheek as she remembered the terrible, lonely nights when she cried along with her daughter, unable to handle the pressures of being a new mother.

Despite everything, Sara felt blessed. When she looked into her daughter's eyes, she knew that it was worth it. Sara loved this baby girl more than words could say. The only thing she would've changed was telling him about it. If only to know how he would've reacted.

"Here you are ma'am. Las Vegas Police Department, North Trop Boulevard."

"Thank you."

Sara quickly paid the cab driver and grabbed her luggage from the trunk. It wasn't too heavy, so she hauled it into the building with relative ease.

"Hello… oh! Sara Sidle!"

"Hi Judy," she managed a smile to the bespectacled receptionist.

"I didn't know you were coming! My goodness, this is quite a surprise!"

"Is Nick around?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. The graveyard shift went out to celebrate this huge case. They're at

the diner. The usual place, I think they said."

"Thanks." Sara started to go.

"May I ask about that little girl with you?"

Sara turned around, and simply said, "She's my daughter. Good bye."

Judy was left with her mouth open.

The diner was warm and comforting but Sara still felt goose bumps on her arms and legs. She was nervous, scared, and sad all at the same time. They were all there. Nick, Catherine, Warrick, Greg. Well, almost all of them. She managed a small sigh of relief.

"Mommy, where are we?"

Sara looked down at her little girl. She didn't expect her to wake up already.

"We're in Vegas, sweetie. Remember I told you we were coming here for an important meeting?"

The little girl yawned, "Where's the white tiger?"

Sara kissed her on the cheek and smiled, "We'll see the tiger. I promise. Right now, I want to visit some old friends, so be a good girl and be on your best behavior."

Little Emily nodded.

Slipping into a booth, she let herself gaze at him. He still looked the same as ever. He had that same grin that made her knees go weak. His twinkling eyes and muscular physique reminded her of the one night they shared together. She felt her body ache as she recalled him practically dragging her to his bedroom. They didn't use protection, but at the time, she was feeling too good to care.

Sara started to feel depressed as different thoughts flew around in her head.

'_What if he already has a girlfriend? I just got up and left for San Francisco with no warning. He probably hates me. They all probably hate me.'_

She was starting to lose her nerve. Maybe coming back was not such a good idea.

"Mommy, can I have waffles?"

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat and scooped up Emily.

"Yeah. But the room service in our hotel makes them much better. Let's go."

She ducked out the door clutching the small girl close.

"Are you crying?"

Sara quickly sniffed, and hastily wiped away a few stray tears.

"No. I... I've just got something in my eye."

Once again, she was running away. She was always running away from things that confused and scared her. She knew it was stupid to be afraid of true love, but that was who she was. She had bad luck with love, and maybe her gut was telling her something.

""""""""

Their hotel room was nice and cozy, but all she could think about was Nick. She missed him, and she wondered if he even thought about her. It was almost six in the morning but Sara hardly slept at all. She looked over at her daughter. Smiling in her sleep like an angel. Sara sighed softly, and walked outside to the terrace.

She took out her cell and dialed his phone number, letting out a small breath when she heard his sleepy voice.

"Stokes."

"…."

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Hi Nick."

"Sara? Is that you?" He sounded wide awake now.

"Yes. I'm at the Excalibur."

"You're here!? In Vegas!?" His voice rose up a few decibels and she couldn't tell if he

was angry or just surprised.

"Yeah. I just got in, and I need to talk to you. Can you come over? I'd like you to meet someone."

"Who?" He sounded confused and apprehensive.

"Our daughter."

---

_Cue the dramatic music! Yes, I know it's kind of open ended but doesn't that makes it all the more angsty? Okay, okay, there will likely be a follow up to this but not too soon. Review and tell me what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. I am just a humble fan and writer.

A/N: So we last left of (in my "what if" scenario) with Sara returning to Vegas after two years of absence. When she returned she brought a little something with her; Nick's child. Now that she's mustered up the courage to tell Nick what will he say? Read the thrilling conclusion.

**Ficlet 34 (ch.2): Meeting Emily**

Nick couldn't drive fast enough, almost running by a few red lights. Luckily there was barely any traffic so he managed to get to Sara's hotel in fifteen minutes.

When he heard her voice over the phone his heart seemed to stop. She was gone for two years and just like that, she came back into his life. He had a million questions, most of them regarding why she left and why she didn't bother to tell the lab. Perhaps now he would finally get his answers.

Before he could get to the elevator, the man at the desk stopped him. He told the inquiring receptionist that he was there to see someone very important, and Nick was quickly sent on his way.

Inside the elevator the shocked CSI pondered what Sara told him over the phone.

"_Our daughter."_

They had a daughter. It was mind boggling. He was almost positive he heard her right, but he wasn't sure how it could've happened.

He finally found her room and knocked swiftly before she opened the door.

"Hey."

"Yeah, hey."

"Come in," she opened the door and allowed him inside.

The room was dim, save for one lamp lit by the bed. The tiny sleeping form that lay on the bed blew him away. His curiosity finally got to him.

"Sara, what-?"

"Her name is Emily. She's two years old and she's my daughter. _Our daughter_."

He stood there, still not fully grasping the news he had received. He was just staring at the toddler on the bed, a single word finally escaping him.

"How?"

She let her eyes stray, "I figured you wouldn't remember. The big mayoral case in Vegas two and a half years ago? You invited me to your place and we…"

Nick finally realized it. The memories tumbling forth from some deep part of his mind. He slapped his forehead in astonishment.

"Oh my God. Sara, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged sadly, "I was confused and I thought it didn't mean anything to you."

"Didn't mean anything? Sara, you left before I woke up. I actually thought _you_ didn't care about it."

He walked over to her and took his hand, "When you left, I was heart broken. I thought I was a one night stand to you. Sara, you mean the world to me, and I wished you would've told me about her."

She suppressed a sob and flung her arms around him.

"You don't know what it was like to go through this alone! Feeling the way I felt."

"You didn't have to go it alone. I would've helped, if you let me," he whispered.

"I'm an idiot."

He shook his head and stroked her hair, "Don't say that. You were just scared and confused. I felt that way when you left me. But you don't have to feel that way anymore. I'm here for you, and I'm not letting you do this alone."

"You don't know how much this means to me, Nick," She paused before finally admitting, "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

She smiled at his little term of endearment, and they stood there for a while just holding each other in the dark, shadowy room. A small sound caught their attention. Little Emily was awake and she was staring at the two with wide eyes.

"Emily, did we wake you? I'm sorry," Sara gave her a watery smile.

"Mommy, who's that?"

Nick looked over at her, feeling briefly nervous. Even in the low light, he saw how beautiful the young girl looked. She had many of Sara's dark features as well as his.

Sara grabbed his hand and led her to the bed.

"Emily, I'd like you to meet someone very important. This is your daddy."

She looked up at him, leaving him to wonder if it would be too forward to hug her. Maybe Nick would be better off giving her a friendly pat on the head.

"Daddy!"

She jumped into his lap, surprising the two adults. He relaxed and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Hey there kiddo. I'm sorry I was absent in the first two years of your life but I promise to make it up to you. We are going to spend so much time together."

The little girl giggled as he picked her up and slowly twirled her around.

As she watched the two laugh and play around, Sara found herself crying quietly. It was not an unusual thing; after all, over the last two years she cried more times than she cared to remember. Sad tears, angry tears, bitter tears; but this time she finally let herself shed tears of joy.

Things went so much better than Sara planned. She finally had the two most important people in her life, and she promised to never let them go.

**---**

_Say it with me: "Awww..." So thus ends my venture into soapish drama. But the good kind of soapish drama. I hope you all liked the ending and please let me know by leaving a review. Thank you for reading._


End file.
